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JANE’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO MACKINAC! By Lynn Anderson

In what she jokingly referred to as the longest-standing reservation in Grand Hotel history, Jane Seymour finally returned to Mackinac Island for the 12th Annual “Somewhere In Time” Weekend this past October. It was Jane’s first visit to Mackinac since filming wrapped 23 years ago in the summer of 1979, yet it was a visit worth waiting for!

Jane had been on the road for several weeks, filming “Heart of a Stranger” in Nova Scotia, and took the time to stop over on her way home to James and the children in California. She flew to the Island with two dear friends, her publicist Amy Rosi, and costume designer Cheri Ingle. Cheri designed costumes for “Dr. Quinn” (including the beautiful wedding dress) and also assists Jane in developing her clothing line for the Crossing Pointe catalog. The grand and glorious Grand Hotel carriage, complete with the prerequisite footmen, escorted Jane and Company from the tiny airstrip to the red carpet entrance in a style befitting our Lady Jane, and she alighted to hundreds of excited fans. There was applause inside the hotel as Jane enthusiastically greeted everyone before being escorted up to their suite to change and settle in. This was the first time Jane had ever stayed at the Grand – the cast and crew of SIT were housed in dormitory-style rooms at the other end of the Island at what is now Mission Pointe Resort – and she relished the opportunity to actually experience everything that makes the hotel so, well, Grand!

Jane came down from her room wearing a beautiful black lace column dress from the upcoming 2003 Holiday Collection of her Crossing Pointe clothing line. She stopped briefly outside the SIT Suite, and gave its occupant, INSITE member Donna Guibilo, the thrill of a lifetime when she asked for (and received!) an impromptu tour of the room decorated in honor of the film. Then she proceeded down to the lobby, where the Grand Hotel was hosting a special gallery showing of her many works of art, including several Impressionist pieces inspired by her visit to Monet’s Water Garden. One such painting, featuring a lovely Edwardian lady on a footbridge over a pond (mimicking Monet’s famous “Water-Lily Pool” painted in 1900), was made into a special poster commemorating the event, and Jane spent over an hour autographing copies as a fundraiser for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (www.crpf.org). Afterwards, she went outside for more photo opportunities on the Grand Hotel’s enormous front porch, and also made a special point of visiting INSITE’s “Is It You” plaque at the water’s edge, which is a permanent monument to the film at the site where Richard meets Elise. She then retired to her room to ready herself for Saturday evening’s festivities.

Naturally, we SIT fans are used to seeing our Elise McKenna in the familiar Gibson Girl hairstyle, so when INSITE member Dee DuBree heard she was finally attending, she made Jane an offer she couldn’t refuse. An accomplished hairstylist, Dee offered to do Jane’s hair in the glorious style we all know and love – and to her surprise, Jane accepted! She and friend Carolyn Burch spent 45 precious minutes with Jane, and did her hair to utter perfection! (What an honor – to be able to say you did Jane’s hair!) After changing into a gorgeous Edwardian-inspired Escada evening gown for the evening, Jane became the very essence of Elise M cKenna!

Rather than seclude herself from her fans, Jane and her friends instead chose to dine that evening with everyone else in the main dining room, and took a table not far from the one where Christopher Reeve (as Richard Collier) dined in SIT. It was fun watching Jane’s reaction to the outstanding service and cuisine that the Grand is known for!

One of the high points on Saturday evening after dinner is the gala Costume Promenade,
which allows costumed guests to walk the entire length of the Grand Hotel’s Parlor, to hundreds of flashing cameras, making you feel as though you too are a celebrity with paparazzi! Jane was escorted to a chair at the end of the Parlor, near the hallway where the participants gathered. As each strolled out to the sweet strains of the SIT theme played by piano, harp and violin, all were able to see and be seen by Jane herself. As I approached her, I couldn’t resist granting Lady Jane a deep royal courtesy, and was rewarded with her taking MY picture! When all had finished, Jane then stood and walked the Promenade herself, receiving thunderous applause.

It was then time to go into the Theatre for the rest of the evening’s program. After the preliminary awards, Jane was introduced and brought up to the podium for a very special announcement. She had made arrangements for a special telephone hook-up with Christopher Reeve, and soon we heard his voice live over the loudspeakers as he conversed with Jane! It was a huge surprise, and many of us had tears in our eyes listening to them speak. Christopher commented how fitting it was that she was up on stage, and he was out in the audience with the rest of us, watching her, just as it was in the film. But that wasn’t the only thrill she gave us that night!

After watching our annual scene re-enactments (which were filmed earlier in the day), Jane was invited up onto the stage to give us the best re-enactment of all – her “Man of my Dreams” Soliloquy speech! It was magic listening to her again speak the immortal words that meant so much to all of us! Afterwards, she stayed on stage for a lengthy question-and-answer session from the audience, before retiring with her friends back to their suite for the remainder of the evening.

Jane came down after breakfast the next morning and delighted us with yet another autograph session, this time for all the SIT paraphernalia people brought from their own private collections. She looked striking in another beautiful vintage-inspired cream lace wrap-tie blouse, which Cheri told me will be part of the Crossing Pointe 2003 Summer Collection (it’s definitely on MY wish list!). I spent a little time chatting with her on the front porch as she posed for pictures of the outfit for Crossing Pointe, and both she and Cheri were very receptive to my suggestion that they include longer pants in the Collection for us tall gals (thank goodness – I’m getting tired of wearing her jeans with flats!).

After signing and posing for over an hour, Jane gave a small farewell speech and departed in that elegant Cinderella carriage for the trip back to the airstrip. I watched as she settled into the carriage and opened her make-up compact, the sunlight reflecting off the mirror into that lovely face as I snapped one final photo. I waved as she departed, and she looked up and returned my wave as the carriage pulled away. Thanks for the memories, Jane!


All photos on this page courtesy of Lynne Anderson for the DQ times website and are not to be reproduced without express permission.